web 2.0

beyond the buzz

Web 2.0 is a term that came about to describe the new generation of web design and development. It's relevance and legitimacy were at first hotly debated, but it has come to be a definitive term, encapsulating some of the most exciting trends in web.

Trends like open APIs, mash-ups, social networking, blogging, media sharing, mobile web, virtual communities (niche and corporate), and the concept of the Web as a platform. On the design front, Web2.0 has brought about a new wave of design trends that we are simply in love with.

back to basics

Web 2.0 design standards have been a breath of fresh air to the web as far as we are concerned. Design that focuses on the content it's meant to support instead of on itself. Ultra clean sites, large font sizes (what, we can read text again??), intuitive navigation and a new era of fun colors and design in the corporate world are some of these trends.

The state of javascript and interface tools available today, are making the web more interactive, intuitive, and simply nicer to look at. Things like drag-and-drop interfaces, expanding text boxes, ajax saves on forms, and smart search with ajax suggest, all contribute towards a smooth moving, fast interface, that mimics Flash without the roadblocks that come along with Flash.

google is your friend

For better or for worse, Google may be taking over the world, oops, I mean web. The introduction of Google APIs tools allow integration and data sharing with all of their most popular web tools like Google Calendar, Google Maps, YouTube, Blogger, and more. These tools, as well as offerings from Wordpress, Yahoo, and hundreds of independent developers, offer exciting new potentials with mash-ups and collaboration.

mobile 2.0

There is a major shift in mobile online use occurring, these trends are being greatly accelerated by new phone technologies like the iPhone, and upcoming Blackberry Bold. More and more, it will be essential to provide content to the mobile market, and in the words of Daniel Nations of Web Trends Guide:

"Mobile 2.0 isn't about delivering PC content to our mobile devices, it is about delivering mobile content. And, more than that, it is about personalizing the content."

social networks

Facebook changed the Social Network game by opening up their site to 3rd party developers. This allows outside developers to use data from accepting user's profiles to provide entertainment, information, communication, and advertising.

social networks on steroids

OpenSocial was realeased almost a year ago now, but has yet to explode; we think it will. OpenSocial allows developers like us, to create plug-in applications for a multitude of social networks at once. Social networks already on board include Engage.com, Friendster, hi5, Hyves, imeem, LinkedIn, MySpace, Ning, Oracle, orkut, Plaxo, Salesforce.com, Six Apart, Tianji, Viadeo, and XING.

Related to OpenSocial is Google Friend Connect. Friend Connect provides a core set of social gadgets such as member management, message board, reviews, and picture-sharing. The key gadget is the members gadget. This gadget provides core social features for your visitors:

* sign-in with their existing Google, Yahoo, AIM, or OpenID account
* invite and show activity to existing friends from social networks such as Facebook, Google Talk, hi5, orkut, Plaxo, and more
* browse member profiles across social networks
* connect with new friends on your site

links for nerds (or wannabe nerds)

O'Reily article - What Is Web 2.0
Wikipedia 2.0 Article
Glossary of Web 2.0 Terms
A really cool Web 2.0 Video
Some examples of Web 2.0 Logos